Drama class helps inmates explore life issues

Saturday

"You could hear it through the whole building," said program manager Fran Pisegna.

Once they stopped caring whether they looked silly, the group moved on to the matter at hand: Acting.

No, this was not a class of elementary school students, an extracurricular activity for college students or an expensive class for retirees looking for a new hobby. It was a class for inmates of the Worcester County House of Correction.

"It's a great opportunity for them to apply themselves and look at themselves in a different way," said Mr. Pisegna, who has been working at the Worcester Community Correction Center on Main Street for nearly a decade. He said a program like this has never been run before at the facility.

In the pilot stage, the New Crossgate Program is a voluntary class for participants of the Community Opportunity Advancement Program, which takes in men on parole or probation, or serving the end of their sentences under house arrest.

Michael R. Baroud of Worcester said he enrolled in the program because he wanted to improve his public speaking.

Mr. Baroud, 59, has struggled with heroin addiction since he was a teenager and has been incarcerated for a total of 26 years. He said he has been clean since he was incarcerated for breaking and entering in 2012.

"You come out of yourself a little more," he said. "I have a lot of regrets. Now I want to be honest and give back."

While he was volunteering at a local church, Mr. Baroud said, the acting class allowed him to see different situations in a new light. He enjoyed it so much that now that he has been released, he is trying to take another acting class.

"It's about your relationships," he said. "You challenge yourself."

Mr. Baroud said that over the years, he has been absent as a son, brother, father and husband because of his addiction and the crimes he committed (mostly breaking and entering and receiving stolen property, he said). The class allowed him to see from a new perspective and to have a less selfish outlook.

Hesitant at first, the men weren't shy to perform whatever role was required: man, woman, inmate or police officer.

"They were fearless with their choices," said Sam Osborn, who founded the program with his best friend, Ryan Desaulniera.

He said that unlike other actors, the men were honest with themselves as they performed different situations, such as acting as a junior police officer who has pulled someone over as attacks on police are on the rise.

The actor, he said, was incredibly aggressive during the scene and later explained that was to combat the fear police would be experiencing.

Mr. Osborn and Mr. Desaulniera said they would stop and identify points when a situation is escalated before prompting a discussion on how the person could have handled it better.

"We remove ourselves as much as possible," Mr. Osborn said. "They get to a place where they have a mutual understanding."

One of the most powerful scenes came when the inmates would direct a scene in which another man, acting as them, called their brother, whom they had a falling out with, to say he had been put back in jail and had no on else to call.

"I was this close to crying in the back of the room," Mr. Desaulniera said. "It was genuinely heart-breaking."

The instructors also said the participants were "honest but caring and thoughtful" in their interpretation of the members of law enforcement.

When it came to the grand finale — a performance for the center's staff members — Mr. Osborn said there was a genuine excitement.

"They were proud to perform in front of people," he said. The day of the performance, the actors went so far as to add a new scene.

Mr. Osborn and Mr. Desaulniera, both Worcester natives now living in Providence, said they would like to collaborate with a local theater organization to give interested participants the opportunity to continue to be involved in theater.

Yet the goal of the program is not to create interest in the performing arts. Mr. Osborn explained that they hope to improve general inmate behavior as well as give the men a new perspective when they approach difficult situations.

Mr. Osborn and Mr. Desaulniera are seeking funding to round out their business model so the program can expand beyond the correction center.

The class is expected to be offered for inmates again this fall.

Contact Alli Knothe at allison.knothe@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @KnotheA.

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